As we approach the one-year anniversary of President Trump taking office for the second time, we have just as many questions about what the next 3 years will look like as we did on day one. President Trump has already achieved one of his personal goals – a Nobel Peace prize – when Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado gifted her Peace Prize medal during a White House visit. What else could President Trump check off from his bucket list? Let’s find out –welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
President Trump released his Great Healthcare Plan which calls for lowering prescription drug prices and insurance premiums, and increasing transparency in health care costs and insurance benefits. The lack of details in the fact sheet creates more questions than it answers, but it’s clear the plan targets pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and health insurance companies, calling out those entities for deceptive practices and for accepting subsidies that the administration argues raise the cost of health insurance. Pharmaceutical companies are also under a microscope, with calls to codify most-favored-nation (MFN) pricing agreements and increase access to over-the-counter drugs. Many of the specific proposals in the plan, such as codifying MFN deals and PBM reform will require Congress to act. As we’ve seen, getting this Congress to act on health care is not easy, but getting the White House involvement is a necessary first step to unify the Republican majorities in both chambers.
The White House has promoted Farnoosh Faezi-Marian to Chief of the Health and Human Services (HHS) Branch at Office of Management and Budget (OMB). Faezi-Marian previously serviced as a Program Examiner at OMB, where she worked on budget development and execution for the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response. The promotion now has her leading the OMB office that is responsible for examining budget requests and making funding recommendations for HHS agencies so she will be an important voice in developing the President’s upcoming budget request to Congress for HHS.
The Senate
The Senate has left town without reaching an agreement on an extension of the enhanced advance premium tax credits (APTCs). The Open Enrollment period has already closed for most states, but a handful have deadlines to sign up for coverage through the end of January, which provides external pressure to reach an agreement. Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) also previously told Punchbowl News that a deal would need to come together by the end of January, creating internal political pressure to move things along. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) who has been involved with negotiations on a bipartisan agreement has said negotiations will continue over the recess, but Leader Thune has cast doubt on the talks saying, “it doesn’t look like they’re close.”
The House
With the House scheduled to be out of session next week, it’s crunch time to pass the six remaining appropriations bills to avoid at least a partial government shutdown on January 30. Although reports indicate neither side wants another shutdown, the remaining bills are some of the trickiest. These include Labor-HHS, Defense, and Homeland Security. The House has been working to pass appropriations bills in the form of minibus packages, and we expect that to continue. However, the controversy over ICE involved shootings in Minneapolis has made many believe that Homeland Security funding may need to be passed through a continuing resolution (CR).
Adding to the frenzy, over a dozen health care extenders, including telehealth flexibilities, community health center funding, and more, are set to expire at the end of the month. These have often been tied to government funding bills, but the possibility of a minibus for most and a CR for the Homeland Security bill raises questions as to whether the House has the stomach to authorize a longer-term extension for health care extenders or if they will keep kicking the can down the road. Extending funding for a year or two could provide stability for crucial health programs but would require more discussion than a shorter-term funding decision.
The House Budget Committee is holding a hearing on Health Care Costs that will feature witnesses from the Foundation for Research on Equal Opportunity and the Council for Affordable Health Coverage, both of whom might as well have offices in the Capitol Building for how often they’ve appeared in the last 4 months. But while there has been a lot of testimony, we have not seen any legislation as a result.
Other Health Care Hearings This Week
- January 22: House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing on health insurance affordability
- January 22: House Ways and Means Committee hearing with health insurance CEOs
There You Have It
With the NFL and College football playoffs happening, we’re seeing the season end for teams week after week. Are you prepared for the post-football seasonal depression? Let us know. Make it a great week!